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Why Old FJ's Never Die

LOS ANGELES - JONATHAN WARD and his wife, Jamie, run a time machine. Their shop, TLC, is where fanatically loyal Toyota FJ owners bring their tired, rusted-out, crunched-up Land Cruisers. The Wards turn back the clock and make the FJ's new again.

"We discovered a whole market that was waiting to be served," Jonathan Ward said in a recent interview. "We can make them 100 percent new again, make them better than new with modern parts or we can make them an all-new vehicle from scratch."

The Land Cruiser has a special place in Toyota history. In the late 1950's, when the Japanese company entered the United States market, its only car was an underpowered, poorly made sedan called the Toyopet. The wretched Toyopet sold so poorly that by 1960, the only thing that allowed Toyota to maintain an American presence -- and let its few dealers keep their doors open -- was the jeeplike Land Cruiser utility vehicle.

Tough and reliable, the Land Cruiser -- FJ was shorthand for its engine and platform combination -- gained a cult following. (The big Land Cruiser sport utility still found in Toyota showrooms is a descendant of that vehicle.)

TLC provides restoration, repair and refitting of all FJ's, past and present. Mr. Ward says the company (tlc4x4.com) carries the largest inventory of FJ parts in the country.

Four levels of restoration are offered, costing up to $50,000, which start with repair and parts replacement; the work can progress up to full frame-off restorations. The most complete makeovers involve replacement of the running gear, including the original in-line 6 engine, with modern V-8's from General Motors or Ford. TLC also recently started offering Ford diesel engines (4 cylinders, 3 liters) made in Brazil.

"We can set them up to run on bio-diesel," Mr. Ward said. "We can even turbocharge them."

TLC is also experimenting with diesel-electric hybrids that might be legal for single-occupant use in California's ubiquitous car pool lanes, and electric vehicles as well. "Right now those have about a 100-mile range, and a 70 m.p.h. top speed," he said, and could be plugged into a standard household outlet. He said TLC was "also working on regenerative braking," a system that captures energy from the brakes and uses it to recharge the batteries.

In November, TLC began offering its own model, the $90,000 Icon, which is based on the original military FJ, or "Japanese Jeep," that Toyota built for the United States Army in 1958. A buyer can choose from several engine and transmission options.

To avoid having to conduct emissions and crash testing, TLC bolts its own homemade components onto an original FJ frame. "So we are designated a restorer, not a manufacturer," Mr. Ward said.

TLC's restoration business, in an overflowing 20,000-square-foot shop in the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys, turns out 10 to 12 full or partial restorations each month, Mr. Ward said. So far, it has also sold seven Icons.

"Right now, we're in the middle of trying to decide to keep our business relatively small, or see just how big it can be become," he said. The popularity of the whole enterprise, he added, has "so far been overwhelming."